seriously, why do i always come into this thread when i am hungry? I then proceed to look at the pictures, realizing the time involved to make these meals and as such I am forced to eat stuff I don't really want...stupid brain.

columbia wrote:Bourdain returns tonight at 9 on CNN.That's kind of a lousy time slot, but maybe that sort of thing doesn't matter these days.

Myanmar. I liked it. The train looked..... fun.

Rylan wrote:seriously, why do i always come into this thread when i am hungry? I then proceed to look at the pictures, realizing the time involved to make these meals and as such I am forced to eat stuff I don't really want...stupid brain.

Myself and a few friends are buying a cow from a butcher here in a few weeks. I will be getting a ton of ground meat out of it, and was thinking of making a bunch of homemade burgers and freezing them. Instead of buying frozen burgers at Sam's or Giant Eagle, I would have my own already made. Has anyone ever done this? I usually add egg, bread crumbs, a bunch of seasonings, and worchester sauce to my homemade burgers and was wondering if they will still taste good frozen.

I dont use a lot of bread crumbs, and I guess I really dont need them. Ive just always added them. I used the egg to help keep the patty together. Though if there is better way to do it, Im all ears. I always thought you needed the egg or the burgers would crumble on the grill.

Definitely the key is to flatten them as much as possible. The first couple times I made burgers I made them too fat and they would burn on the outside and still be red in the middle. Makes a nice even cook.

Edit: The one issue I have a lot (I use 85/15) meat is flameups. The last time I made burgers the entire bottom of the grill was a raging inferno. Thankfully they turned out ok, but it was like 800 degrees in there.

Last edited by shafnutz05 on Thu Apr 18, 2013 3:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.

The secret to binding ground meat is salt. Lay the mince out on a sheet tray and apply a generous amount of salt a 3-4 hours before you form it into the desired shape. The salt works on the protein strands and breaks them down a little, drawing out moisture. And when you form the shape (burger patty, loaf, etc) it will tend to hold that shape much better while cooking.

Thanks for the tips everyone. I am going to get rid of the egg, as its pretty apparent I dont need it. What about freezing them? Is it worth making a bunch and freezing them, or am I better off just pulling the meat out of the freezer and making fresh burgers each time I want one?

cheesesteakwithegg wrote:Thanks for the tips everyone. I am going to get rid of the egg, as its pretty apparent I dont need it. What about freezing them? Is it worth making a bunch and freezing them, or am I better off just pulling the meat out of the freezer and making fresh burgers each time I want one?

The only thing is, I've read not-so-good things about seasoning meat before you freeze it. So you are going to have to season the meat anyway, and the only step you are skipping is making the patty after the fact.